The invention relates in general to weapons and in particular to automated mortar and artillery weapons for use in a mobile application.
The ability to engage the enemy and provide effective fired in remote, difficult to access and/or mountainous terrain is increasingly important to armed forces. Many of the existing weapon systems, especially large caliber direct and indirect weapons, lack the mobility and maneuverability to function in areas with limited access.
Additionally, many of the existing large caliber weapon systems require gun crews of between four and six soldiers, who must perform tasks such as preparing ammunition loading, aiming, adjusting and firing the weapon. Generally, while performing these tasks, they are exposed to enemy counterfire. Rough terrain conditions compound the problem of soldier exposure as the ability “shoot and scoot” is greatly diminished.
Current large caliber weapon systems also typically have physical limitations that affect responsiveness. For instance, towed artillery and most mounted and dismounted mortars have very limited firing azimuths and require time-consuming adjustments to engage targets outside these boundaries. Mortar systems are currently designed to engage targets while firing at high angles (above 45°), resulting in longer time of flight and more time required to fire adjusted rounds on target. During this adjustment period, the enemy can flee the immediate area thereby making additional adjustments necessary.
The effectiveness of the weapon's recoil system may help in enhancing the platform mobility, by permitting larger weapons to be mounted on lighter platforms. Traditional hydro-pneumatic recoiling systems are effective in reducing recoil forces by approximately only seventy five percent which permits smaller 155 mm howitzers and 120 mm mortars to be mounted in Stryker vehicles; however, these Stryker vehicles may have limited mobility and maneuverability in confined areas.
Another approach to this problem involves the application of spades or dismounting the weapon. This method effectively transmits the recoiling forces directly to the ground, rather than through the vehicle. The disadvantage of this approach is the added time required to position and lower the weapon.
A need exists for a large caliber weapon which is compatible with light, maneuverable mobile platforms. Additionally, the automation of routine, physically demanding function must be fully exploited, resulting in faster engagements, more accurate fires, less soldier exposure to enemy fire, smaller crew size, and improved shoot-and-scoot capabilities.